Welcome back to my blog. Today I have Sarah Cass talking about the misconception of repression during the Victorian era.

Here’s Sarah!

I’d like you to meet Jane Doe.

She’s the heroine of my historical western romance series – The Dominion Falls Series (Changing Tracks-book 1, Derailed-book 2, Dark Territory- book 3).

At first glance, she’s a right-proper woman. “Properly” repressed. Dresses like a schoolmarm with her high collars, layers of petticoats, corsets and such.

But Jane is sort of the epitome of the great lie of the Victorian era.

She is proud of her sexuality (and a bit of an exhibitionist). It causes great scandal and rumors in the town, but she has no qualms about her very hot relationship with the owner of the local saloon/brothel.

At the same time, she goes to church on Sunday, performs charitable acts across the board, and is well liked by most of the town. She doesn’t let herself be ostracized by it, because she accepts what she is.

There’s a great rumor that people have tried to call me out on, that the Victorian era is ripe with sexual repression. That my ‘proper’ woman wouldn’t be so open about what she’s doing. That the brothel would be frowned on far more than it is, especially by Jane – who is, by all accounts, a strong and intelligent woman. Why would she take up with a man that ‘owns’ women?

First off, the Victorians might have liked and appreciated that we think they were so repressed. Holy cow, they weren’t. It’s all about keeping up appearances, but porn was rampant back then. With the invention of the camera especially.

Did you know that back then men were expected to “ease” themselves? It was rather expected of them because men’s needs were supposedly greater than women (pffft, whatever, right?). Brothels were a staple, especially in mining towns like Dominion Falls.

Does Jane like that there are whores? Well, no…but she also is smart enough to know that they are a fact of life in the town. She might rather her man didn’t ‘own’ the contracts of so many women, and she might, over time, work him over – but she can barely admit they have a relationship, why on earth would she demand he change his business?

Also – some of the literature. Jane is a huge fan of Whitman, Leaves of Grass is always on her bedside table. If you have a chance, read “I sing the body electric” and tell me Victorian era people were repressed.

Do you like your Western women, or Victorian era women proper? Or do you like them a little naughty like Jane?

*~*

Derailed (Dominion Falls Book 2)

Blurb:

The sins of a past she can’t remember could destroy a present she’ll never forget.

The crimes of her forgotten past threaten the very life Jane Doe has learned to cherish.

Jane is out of time. With a warrant on her head, a maniac out for her blood, and a secret baby on the way, something has to give.

Without Cole Mitchell’s help to find the answers, there may be no hope left.

Cole has nowhere left to hide. He unwittingly let Jane into his heart, and is ready to share the secret of his dark past.

Fate has a way of playing its hand, and tragedy strikes. With the world crumbling around them, it’s easy to lose faith. If they can’t forgive past sins, they have no hope for the future.

Sarah Cass’s world is regularly turned upside down by her three special-needs kids and loving mate, so she breaks genre barriers, dabbling in horror, straight fiction, and urban fantasy. An ADD tendency leaves her with a variety of interests that include singing, dancing, crafting, cooking, and being a photographer. She fights through the struggles of the day, knowing the battles are her crucible and though she may emerge scarred, she’s also stronger. While busy creating worlds and characters as real to her as her own family, she leads an active online life with her blog, Redefining Perfect, which gives a real and sometimes raw glimpses into her life and art.

She slowed in the middle of the street and turned to face him. Every pain surged to the front again, beating on her good intentions. She snapped, “Yes?”

“Thought you might be tryin’ to get my attention.”

“It seems I have.”

“Well?”

Every inch of her was shivering, but she held out her shaky hand toward him. When his hand closed over hers, her whole body stilled. Closing her eyes, she sighed and reveled in the contact. “I was wrong. About so many things.”

He yanked her close, chucking a finger under her chin to make her open her eyes again. A leer curled up his lips. “I ain’t gonna—”

The last thing she was going to do was let him bark at her, deserved or not. She grabbed his shirt and closed the distance. Her lips caressed his until he started to respond, and then she shoved him away. Already aching from the loss of contact, she stepped back.

“What the hell?”

A smirk tugged at her lips, and she took a few more steps backward. Frustration, confusion, maybe even a hint of relief. That’s what she’d hoped to see, and he hadn’t disappointed. The rest would have to wait for quiet. Would he follow?

The sound of a step after her confirmed that he would, so she turned. Her hands were still shaking, but she managed to unlock the door and step inside. Fighting the nervous flutter of her stomach, she grabbed some books to shelve.

She had so much to say, and she had no idea how he’d react. He might just walk away again. If that was the case, she’d have to accept it. She couldn’t keep putting herself through this. It was just as likely he didn’t feel the same.

One footstep. Two. The door clicked shut. Silence.

The book she held trembled as she shoved it into place. She couldn’t let him speak first. She had to get this out. “I thought it had to be without attachment. I thought I was honest with myself. With you. But it was all such a lie.”

“What was a lie?”

“All of it. I fooled myself into thinking that I could do things how I thought you wanted. But I couldn’t. I was happy. With you. It wasn’t just having you in my bed…it was all of it.”

Her eyes closed, and she pressed her forehead into the shelf in front of her. “I was happy when I realized I was carrying your child. Maybe it was stupid to feel that way, but I was. But I couldn’t show you. I couldn’t show you that you—you were the only one that made me feel.” A hollow laugh escaped. “The one man that made me feel everything and I could show you nothing.”

A tear slipped down her cheek at the lack of response, and she pulled back from the shelf. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, she finally let herself turn toward him, trying to prepare herself for anything. “Are you going to say anything?”

“Crazy bitch.”

Hope.

Right up until that very moment she’d had hope. Hope that Cole would feel the same. That she wouldn’t have to live with the gaping wound.

Crazy bitch. The words rolled through her head over and over. That was it. It was all gone. Her knees trembled, threatening to give out. She turned and gripped the bookshelf, struggling to find her voice.

She croaked like a frog, her throat was so thick with emotion. “Oh. I see. That answers my question.” She pushed off the shelf, but didn’t make it a step.

His hand clamped on her shoulder, and he turned her toward him. He tugged her close and assaulted her lips.

She gripped his coat and pulled him close. A soft whimper of relief escaped her mouth as it opened under his unrelenting demands.

Urgent.

Need.

Fear, desire, longing, missing, searching.

Oh, how she’d missed his touch. Every muscle turned to jelly, quivering under his strong hands. He cupped her buttocks and started to lift, and she gasped.

Keira here again!

Thanks for being here, Sarah. I don’t think they were as repressed as people thought they were either.

Welcome to the blog! Today I have Magda Alexander talking about her book Storm Damages.

Here’s Magda!

First of all, I want to thank Keira for inviting me to her blog. It’s my very first one after publishing my debut novel, STORM DAMAGES, a sizzling contemporary romance. Here’s the blurb:

Promising law student Elizabeth Watson struggled throughout her entire life to claw out of her dirt poor background. And now the brass ring is within her grasp—an associate position at the law firm where she works. As long as she keeps up her grades, makes law review, and stays out of trouble. But trouble is just what walks in the door one scorching hot summer day.

When Gabriel Storm walks into Elizabeth’s life she wants nothing to do with him. After all, he’s on the opposing side of a business deal her law firm represents. If she’s seen with him, she can kiss her career goodbye. But after one sizzling encounter in his limo, she can’t stay away from the billionaire who put the “B” in bad boy, and soon she’s embroiled in an affair hot enough to incinerate her doubts. She should walk away, hell, she should run away, but she can’t. Because all she cares about is his kiss, his touch, and the fires he lights when she’s in his arms.

Excerpt:

An urgent heat flares in Gabriel Storm’s eyes. “Are you attached, Elizabeth?” he asks in a gravelly voice, barely loud enough for me to hear.

My legs turn to rubber. My breath hitches. “Attached?”

His thumb scrapes the inside of my wrist, setting off a wild pulse within. “Do you have a partner, a significant other, a boyfriend?”

“No.” I blurt out before I can think about the appropriateness of his question. Or my response.

“Good.” The hold on my wrist relaxes. It’s only then I realize how tense he’d been. As if my answer mattered to him. “Are you free tonight?”

What the—? Yeah, we shared a moment in the elevator and when I entered the conference room. But he’s on the opposing side of a half billion dollar deal. I can’t go out with him.

Not wishing to appear rude, though, I sidestep the question. “Chances are I’ll be working late.”

“Surely Carrey won’t keep you. He’ll want you to be fresh tomorrow morning for the negotiations. Meet me for drinks at my hotel. I’m staying at The Four Seasons. Around seven?”

I try to say something. But stunned by the turn of events, I can’t.

He palms a card from his jacket. “My mobile number. Call me when you leave the office so I know when to expect you.” He strokes the card against my cheek.

His touch sets off something within, a trembling I can’t control.

As he slips the card into my hand, his eyes turn the color of a savage storm. “You’re very responsive, Elizabeth. I like that.” And with that, he strolls away, all liquid movement and languid grace.

Magda loves reading steamy romances which she’s been doing since she was ten. Ummm, that’s not quite true. Steamy romances did not exist when she was ten, and if they had, she’s pretty sure her mother would not have allowed her to read them. She did read the hand-holding, longing- glances kind, along with her catechism, which got her into trouble more than once. Let’s just say, Mother Superior was not amused.

As soon as sexy romances came into existence, she’s been lapping them up. So when it came time to write one, guess what she wrote. A no-brainer, right?

Magda, a lifelong learner, attended the University of Maryland where she majored in Business Administration (because her family had to eat) and minored in English (because she needed to dream). She’s lived in Maryland most of her life and now resides close to the Catoctin Mountains in a city whose history dates back to colonial times.

If you wish to find out more about Magda, please check out the links below:

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Today I have Alexandra Anthony talking about why she writes erotic romance with a blurb for her book.

Here’s Alexandra!

When I first decided to write professionally, I knew two things: I wanted to write an erotic romance and I wanted to write about vampires. So why not combine the two? To me, vampires exude raw sexuality and without the burden of writing those fade to black sex scenes, I had a lot of freedom with my writing.

I currently write two paranormal erotic romance series: The Vampire Destiny Series and The Dark Hart Chronicles. When I had the ‘a-ha’ moment for my idea for Tempted, I thought it would be so much fun to combine the world of rock ‘n’ roll AND sexy vampires. And since my vampires are day walkers, I don’t have that pesky problem of my vamps dying for the day (which gives me a lot more time for my characters to get frisky).

Erotic romance books are not for everyone. But for me, I can’t imagine writing anything else!

Book Blurb:

When personal assistant Savannah Wood lands a dream job with up and coming rock star Nick Hart, it seems too good to be true. He’s devastatingly handsome, reserved and charming…but he has a secret he’s determined to keep.

Their attraction to one another is immediate and Savannah is determined to keep a professional relationship between them. She’s been burned before and has no desire to reopen old wounds.

The lines between professional and personal begin to blur when Savannah finds out Nick’s secret: he’s a century old vampire with a painful past. He’s also hesitant to open himself up to her, yet they find their temptation to one another is stronger than either can resist.

The paparazzi, a string of murders and cryptic, ominous letters threaten their budding relationship. Will their attraction and love be enough to keep them together…or will it tear them apart?

*This is an erotic, romantic book. It contains sexy vampires, graphic language, adult content and situations that aren’t for the faint of heart or those 18 and under. Consider yourself warned.*

About Alexandra Anthony:

Alexandra Anthony is an independent author of two romantic, erotic book series: The Vampire Destiny Series and The Dark Hart Chronicles. Both series feature sexy vampires to die for, steamy scenes and twists and turns in her character’s many adventures. Her books are not for the faint of heart.

She was most recently featured in USA Today in an article by Joyce Lamb titled, “It’s time to put some Paranormal Activity into your Reading” and was listed under Self-Published/Indie Authors for her most recent release, ‘Ascend (The Vampire Destiny Series Book 4)’.

Welcome to a new feature on my blog! Guest bloggers! Today I have Seven McBay talking about corsets. But not any corsets. Pregnancy corsets.

Here’s Seven!

First, I’d like to thank Keira Kohl for letting me visit with her and her readers on her blog. Great fun to be here! And now, without further ado:

Late-19th-Century Pregnancy Corsets

If there is one thing that men found sexy in the late 1800s, it was the female hourglass figure. By mid-century, gone were the Edwardian gowns that cinched in under the breasts and fell to the floor like shapeless nightgowns (think Jane Austen). By mid-century on, women strove to show their curves and to create them where they had none. Women’s fashion played around with corsets and bustles each decade, always trying to achieve that perfectly alluring figure. (Even the Edwardian women wore corsets, but they were designed to make the woman into a column from under the breasts straight down.)

By the 1860s, there were crinolines and hoopskirt cages along with the mandatory wasp-waist corset. By the 1880s, the hoopskirt gave way to a bustle, which still gave everything below the waist a generous roundness, especially the derriere. Yet despite the changes in dress shape that went on below the waist, the corset didn’t change much from 1776 to 1876.

Flaring hips, wasp-like waist, and thrusting breasts—the corset’s effectiveness rivaled that of any modern girdle and push-up bra. Not only did it make women look great in their clothes, the corset looked pretty darn sexy after the man removed all the other layers (sometimes up to 13 lbs. of layers). He could feast his eyes on his woman in nothing but pantaloons or drawers, stockings, and a corset. That usually led to amorous congress (that’s sexual relations to you and me).

At that point, the woman might find herself in a certain condition, enceinte, or with child. What to do about keeping that lovely figure? Naturally, women turned to the pregnancy corset. This wasn’t designed to offer support though they needed it. Their stomachs had been trussed from an early age in whale bone stays and leather (among other corset constructions), so their abdominal muscles were rather . . . well, non-existent. Stick a baby in there and that stomach was going to sag all over the place, and rather quickly.

Enter the pregnancy corset which, though it offered much-needed support, was mainly used to create the illusion of not being pregnant for as long as possible. In some cases, probably too long. It seemed to push the baby as low as possible to go into the section of the skirt that would be fullest, and, of course, it squeezed the infant into the smallest space imaginable. Poor mother, poor baby. But, hey, as long as the woman looked good!

Next week, the joys of chastity belts. Just kidding! But as for me, I’m happy to put on a corset for visual purposes only and I’ll keep doing crunches for the abdominals when the corset comes off.

Bio: Seven McBay

I’ve been writing for many years and have recently turned my attention to historical erotica. I need to use that B.A. in history and M.A. in English lit. for something, right? And who doesn’t want to write (or read) about a sexy lord unlacing his lady-love’s corset by candlelight before he . . . well, engages in amorous congress with her? I know I do.

The clothes were more beautiful, definitely sexier, and a lot more difficult to remove in the nineteenth century. What a fertile field for a writer of erotica. I also write historical romance under a different pen name. Shh! That’s a secret.

As for my own slightly unusual name, I was born on a lucky day, that’s all!

Lord James St. John has tired of London life, including its whores, until he picks up an unexpected female on the way to his country estate.

Stranded on the side of the road, Clarissa Belmont doesn’t expect her rescuer to be a powerful nobleman, one who asks her to marry him before he’ll give her a little sexual relief.

Just when he thinks he has her right where he wants her, in his bed, she disappears. Was she after his money or his body, or both? Will he bother to get her back or leave her to another’s devious plans?

Glutton for punishment that I am, I signed up for the A to Z Blog Challenge under three different blogs. I wonder how far I’ll get this year. Last year I didn’t make it very far.

First up is aftermath. And in this case I’m talking about the aftermath of sex. What happens when coitus is over? How do you interact with each other? It depends on where you are in the relationship, how it was, if you want to do it again, if you want to see the person again.

In real life I don’t have to worry about the aftermath of sex anymore. I’m completely happy with my honey. It is fun though to think about how characters might react after they get horizontal with each other. What if they aren’t ready to take their relationship to the next level? What if one of them only wants a one night stand but the other wants more? It’s fun to figure out how the characters will react to each other after they’ve been intimate with each other. Maybe secrets were revealed. Maybe they got to know each other better emotionally. The love scenes should move the plot and the relationship forward after all.

I’ve had the one night stand aftermaths where neither of us wanted to see each other again. The one night stand aftermath that wasn’t really a one night stand since we were neighbours and still saw each other every day. Then there were the aftermaths with boyfriends when I thought I knew what love was but later found out I had no clue. The best aftermath was with my fiancé. That’s when I truly knew what it was like to be in love with someone.

Six sentence Sunday is no more but now we have Sneak Peek Sunday! And this one is eight sentences! That’s two more sentences with which to tease you. Below I have eight sentences from School Bites, the third story in my short story compilation, Tempting Evil. It’s a high school reunion and Callie has run into her high school boyfriend.

“Callie, you look just as delicious as you did in high school.”

He wrapped strong arms around her. She breathed in his scent, a spicy, woodsy smell that teased her senses and brought to mind rough sex on a forest floor.

“So do you and you don’t look like you’ve aged at all since high school. What’s your secret?”

The grin he flashed was the same grin she remembered that had every girl in school wanting to do his bidding. “I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.”

This past weekend my fiancé’s friend posed the question – would we be interested in swinging. If you don’t know what it is swinging in a nutshell is partner swapping. Partner sharing. I’m no prude. I write erotica and though the idea of swinging intrigues me I’m not sure I would want to partake.

If I were to agree the guy would have to be uber sexy. But even then would I want to mess up the great relationship my fiancé and I have just for one night (or more) of pleasure?

I can talk a good game when it comes to jealousy. And for the most part I’m not a jealous person. I’m confident. I know my fiancé loves me. But in the back of my mind I’d be wondering if he was thinking of being with her. If we swapped. If I knew 100% that it wouldn’t come back to bite us in the ass would I consider it? Hell yes. It’s fun to shake things up in the bedroom. But with swapping you’re dealing with people and with people come emotions. What if she gets too attached to my fiancé? What if he gets jealous if I talk about his friend? It’s best not to stir up that pot and stick to toys and handcuffs. At least there’s no chance of an emotional attachment there.

Although threesomes have always made me curious too…

Hmm. Maybe I can turn this into a story. Maybe a series of stories. I’d need to do lots of research (not hands on) to get a feel for the lifestyle. It could be interesting and arousing.

Great, another project I won’t be able to work on until my alter ego gets her ass in gear and gets a book out. 🙂

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Welcome to the blog today! We’re celebrating Amber Kallyn’s birthday with a bash and a blog hop!

Welcome to Amber Kallyn’s Birthday Bash. We’ve got some great giveaways for you to win! It’s the season for giving and this is a way for us to give you something for the holidays!

I love the holidays, but not necessarily having my birthday fall smack dab in the middle of them, LOL. But this year, I’d like to do something special for my readers. Over 25 authors and bloggers have come together to celebrate my 24th birthday (I won’t mention how many years I’ve turned 24 again 😉 Keira here. I haven’t stopped counting yet but maybe when I get to 50. 🙂

We have some wonderful prizes, and all you have to do is leave a comment at the participating blogs to win. Easy.

The contest is open from Dec 19th to Saturday the 22nd. Hop to all the blogs. The winner will be chosen from the commenters on all participating blogs. Leave a comment at each blog for additional entries to win. That simple : ) Winner will be drawn on Sunday the 23rd.

Enjoy meeting new authors and book bloggers, and good luck on winning the Birthday Bash Prizes.

With the holidays just around the corner, many people are thinking about parties. Exciting, glamorous, elegant, romantic …or maybe, not so much. Some holiday parties are dull, miserable affairs, and that’s a shame. They could be so much fun.

The problem is, hosts and hostesses have certain ideas of what are acceptable activities at an adult event, and that’s what they go with. Party planners need to step outside the box, and come up with more creative ideas to entertain their guests.

In my latest book, Out of the Ordinary, a half mad, often inebriated king has his very own party planet, Porrima. I got to thinking, what would I do if I had a place with unlimited funds to throw a bash? I would have big fun, that’s for sure. No boring music, no tedious entertainment, and only the most delicious food would be served. As my little mind wandered, alone and unsupervised, here are some of the ideas I came up with.

Bubbles for party favors. You know, the kind you used to have when you were a kid. You dunked the wand in the bottle, then waved it around to make multi-colored bubbles. Instead of using sticky soap, mine will be made out of the drink of your choice, and produce sparkly, rainbow colored bubbles. The liquid won’t be tacky, and when you’re done playing, you can drink what’s left.

Personal chefs. Many people I talk to are on some sort of diet, so my chefs will prepare whatever you want, and it will be delicious. You don’t eat meat? No problem, plenty of vegetarian dishes. No gluten? They can work with that too. Trying to cut out carbs? They have just the thing. You tell them what you want, they fix it.

Spa room. If you’ve ever seen the Express Spas at select airports, this is what I’ll have at my party. They’re like mini spas where you can get a short or full massage, manicure, pedicure and facial treatments. I’ll have two or three rooms set up, and lots of attendants. My hero and heroine get to spend a little bit of time in a spa on Porrima, and I had a lot of fun creating that atmosphere.

Shoe carousel party favors. Who doesn’t love to shop for shoes, when it’s as easy as spinning a huge platform, decked out with every imaginable style? Whether you love flip-flops, boots, sneakers, pumps, or even fuzzy slippers, you’ll find something that makes you smile. Your size will be ordered and shipped to you, and every style will come in wide, narrow, whatever you need.

Finger painting. I don’t know about you, butI don’t remember the last time I dipped my fingers in some paint and swirled it around. My party will have a whole wall designated for this, along with a huge sheet of paper. Everyone can make a design, then tear it off to take home. I’ll even have frames available, if desired. For those who really get into this event and want a little after-party romance, tubes of body paint will be on hand to take home, to continue the fun with a partner.

What about you? Do you have something outrageous you’d like to see at a party? I’d love to hear about it.

Thank you for having me as your guest, Keira Kohl, and happy holidays to everyone!

It’s Six Sentence Sunday again and I’ve got six more sentences from my erotic horror short story Reflections. The gang is all checked into the inn and have retired to their rooms for a rest.

As always I’d love to hear what you think.

Lena closed the door behind her, making sure the lock clicked before she turned and smiled at Travis who lay on the bed. She sashayed over, dropping her clothes as she went. Travis grinned as he slid his pants down his legs and kicked them off.

“I just couldn’t resist you anymore,” she said.

He took her hand and tugged her onto the bed. She squealed in delight and finished shedding her clothes.

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